Here's to Quilt Hubbies!

I'm excited that Scott is coming home tomorrow after being gone for TDY all week. Between thinking about him almost being back and Elaine's response to my comment, I figured it was a good time to write this post. Besides, the one experience needs to be journaled so we can keep laughing at me.  ;D

Scott on TDY in Denver - 1 Nov 2011

Aren't quilt hubbies the BEST? 

You know, the ones who are sitting way over there ~~~> and overhear you muttering about the light because one of the bulbs on the overhead fan is out, but you're too intensely into your stitching to stop to do anything about it, and they suddenly show up with a bulb and change it for you? That was cool.

And the ones who understand why, so they don't complain about stopping in Paducah on the 12-hour drive home from St. Louis so you can drool over ALL THAT FABRIC and take some home, and instead of complaining that you're not actually saving anything, he surprisingly says, "this one would be really cool in a quilt. . . " and brings it to the table.

What I was looking at in Niceville
 when he texted that photo

And the one who, when you're literally spurting a river of blood like Lara Croft after she's grabbed that knife by the blade, doesn't blink an eye when you say "We can't go yet! There's blood on the fabric!", but whips that fabric up off the table, calling out "Cold water, right!??" as he rushes to the bathroom to wash it out.

LOLz. Yes. I stole last Veteran's Day from him. My poor man is an Air Force doctor who works an average of 75 hours a week without overtime or comp time. The previous Veteran's Day, he was in Afghanistan living in not happy circumstances. 2010 Veteran's Day comes, and he is back at home with his family and actually has a rare true day off. He's happily kicked back at his computer game, I'm happily watching a movie and flying through the cutting for a project I was really eager to get started on. . . 

The blade jumped the edge of the ruler!  

Most of it was on the fabric - 
I've spared you the *real* blood pics!

Let me tell you: you do not want to fly through cutting for quilts!! Scott later told me the most amazing thing was that no foul words flew. He heard "Oh this is bad" as I launched for the kitchen. The instant splotches of blood told him stitches were definitely required. 

We're 40 minutes from the base. I held a clean towel pressed around my left index finger the entire time, but it was still dribbling a stream into the bowl when we got to the gate. The young kid on guard duty looked absolutely bored - undoubtedly miffed because his buddies were surely all kicking it up having a good time for the holiday while he had to stand post. I realized I had a problem - couldn't let go to get my ID for him. I leaned over to meet his eyes and show him my injury, saying "I'm so sorry, but could you get my ID for me or let him do it?"  True to a 20yo guy, he lights up like his day just got made when he sees the blood and asks if we're sure we don't need an ER (Hurlburt doesn't have one). Scott assured him he just needed the clinic procedure room, so he let us through. 

So we go in and Scott gets everything set up. I tell him it's too bad it's a day off or his coworkers and he could have a good ol' time making fun of me. 

It turned out to be entertaining enough, because our 17yo came with us, and she could not stop snapping pictures with my phone! 

(I'll be nice and spare you most of them - Kelly can testify that they're pretty disgusting!)

First you gotta wash it out. Then you gotta figure out if you really need a hand surgeon because that cut is as deep as the blade's span from the rotary handle (I was using the big one). Scott said I only just missed cutting the tendon, so he could stitch it himself. 

So here's the caterpillar I got to live with for two weeks. The slice went obliquely about a half inch deep to the bone.

You gotta watch out for those rotary cutters!! 

He was really cool and used the Gator-Blue thread for me. AND Gator-Blue compression tape when he wrapped it and put a fingerboard on to keep me from pulling any stitches out. What a guy!  :D

Can you guess how freaked out I was few months later while I was watching my friends' teens like a hawk as they cut strips for their mother's quilt? (It's the one in the last post)

Looking at my finger now, he did a really great job. The scar is minimal from what happened, and all the feeling is back along the whole stretch. I really wondered if it was all going to reconnect properly, but it did. 

Scott never complained that day about having to drop his holiday and go back to work to put stitches in my finger. But if he's home on a weekend day, and I pick up my rotary, he flashes that Cheshire Cat grin and asks, "Are you going to steal my day off?"  ::sigh::

The coolest thing when we got home: Scott had not only washed the blood out of the fabric for me, but he had done so in a way that didn't mess up the strips! and had hung them carefully so they didn't get all scrunched. What a quilt hubby!!

Oh!  And I can't show you pictures of the quilt, because I never have felt a desire to work on it again! Maybe I'll pull that Bad Boy out next week for this year's Veteran's Day. . . seems apropos. ;D